Chess Puzzle #3QZXE — Beginner, White to move, opening

Rating 1010 · Beginner · advantage, fork, opening, short.

Position

White: king e1; queen d1; rooks a1/h1; bishops b5/d2; knight d5; pawns a2/b2/c2/e5/f2/g2/h2. Black: king e8; queen a5; rooks a8/h8; bishops d7/f8; knights d4/g8; pawns a7/b7/e7/f7/g7/h7. Black is ahead by 2 points of material. White to move.

Solution (2 moves)

  1. Opponent setup: Qxb5 — queen a5→b5, captures bishop. Now White to move.
  2. Best move: Nc7+ — knight d5→c7, gives check. Opponent replies Kd8 (king e8→d8).
  3. Best move: Nxb5 — knight c7→b5, captures queen.

Tactical themes

advantage, fork, opening, short. The key move is Nc7+.

Position data

FEN: r3kbnr/pp1bpppp/8/qB1NP3/3n4/8/PPPB1PPP/R2QK2R b KQkq - 0 9

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Puzzle data from the Lichess puzzle database (CC0). Analysis powered by Stockfish 18 in your browser.